


























Gqfiyiigfit K?. 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 

















































Cartoon by Bradley in Chicago Daily News. “Mosft editors prefer humor in a 
cartoon above everything else”—See chapter on Cartoons. 


















DRAWING 

FOR 

NEWSPAPERS 

CARTOONING, "COMICS,” NEWS 
ILLUSTRATING. ETC. 



BY 

A. W. BREWERTON 

n 

OF 


NEW YORK WORLD. CHICAGO RECORD. 
ATLANTA JOURNAL, LIFE, JUDGE, ETC. 


PRESS OF 

AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY 
ATLANTA, GA. 



Copyright 1910 
By A. W. Brewerton 


©CI.Aa0895f» 


-<!?/ 


* 


o 



T HIS little work is an endeavor to handle very briefly the subject 
of newspaper illustrating, especially cartooning. The inexpensive 
method of modern newspaper engraving, that is, the process by 
which the artist’s work is prepared for printing, has made the field for 
newspaper artists a very broad one. 

As there are without doubt, many persons who possess the natural 
ability for this sort of work, but who lack a practical idea of how the 
work should be done, expert or inside information as to how the newspaper 
cartoonist sets about his work, I shall endeavor to give just those points, 
or suggestions, which I think will be found most useful and helpful, from 
my several years’ experience in newspaper work. 

Success in any line depends upon the interest and ability of the 
worker, and upon his constant and conscientious effort, and, in the 
particular field before us, upon a close and intelligent observation, and 
the capacity to retain and apply what he acquires. Without the above 




elements, this, and any other 
text book, school or instructor 
would be useless. 

An “Art Education” is a 
help but not a necessity for a 
successful newspaper cartoon¬ 
ist. Many of the able and prom¬ 
inent cartoonists of to-day never 
went inside of an art school. 
Some even say that they con¬ 
sider an academic training a 
disadvantage, tending to de¬ 
stroy individuality and origi¬ 
nality. But I believe a good 
foundation of this kinc* will 
always prove beneficial; that 
better drawing goes into the 
newspaper cartoon every day, 
and that the standard is con¬ 
stantly going higher, so that 
the firmer a foundation of an 
art training, the better fitted is 
the cartoonist to withstand competition and remain at the head of his 
profession. 

I would advise the student, if possible, to go to some city where 
there are good art schools and study for two or three years in the cast 
and life classes. The knowledge acquired here is bound to be of lasting 
benefit. But, if this opportunity is not open to you, as I said before, 
men have succeeded in becoming cartoonists, and great cartoonists, too, 
without any academic training whatsoever. 

Make the world your school, and people, animals, and objects all 
about you, your unconscious models, and with conscientious effort you 
will learn to draw, never fear. 



( 2 ) 







A good sense of humor, a thorough knowledge of contemporaneous 
history, a lively imagination, a fund of ideas, and ability to think and 
work rapidly, are some of the necessary constituents of the cartoonist’s 
stock in trade. 

To the embryo artist I might add a word here: Don’t be in too 
great a hurry. You will have to work if you want to win. You can’t 
become a cartoonist in a day. Perseverance, conscientious tireless effort, 
is the only method, and if it is “in you”, it will develop. 



( 3 ) 








A Cartoon by C. G. Bush in the New York World. He was one of the greatest 
cartoonists that ever lived. Note his delicate technique, which was almost like 
painting with a pen. 


BERRY Si 




CITY HAIL 


t T““- ===T 

“IfYOU WANT A CHANGE in 
the police department you 
CAN GU it BY ELECTING,-ME.'* 


W 







































you with what material you can do the best work, what is best suited to 
your style. 

The ink used when drawing for reproduction must be a dead black, 
not shiny. Some penmen buy the stick India ink and grind it themselves. 
This is a cumbersome method, though, when there are many splendid 
prepared inks on the market. Higgins American drawing (general and 
waterproof) is probably the most popularly used by pen draughtsmen. 
Then there are “Encre de Chine Liquide”, a good French ink, Carter’s, 
Winsor and Newton’s, Rowney’s and Dietzgen’s. 

The choice of a pen depends upon individual taste. Some artists 
use several pens, one for one kind of line and another for another, and 
so on. Gillott’s 290 pen is very versatile. It will admit of a fine hair 

( 5 ) 




















stroke or a fat, broad, black line. This makes it very popular with pen 
artists. The “Gillott Crow-quill” is much the same and also a favorite. 
Gillott’s 170, 303, 404 are also much used but are not so elastic. Many 
cartoonists draw with Esterbrook’s 048 Lady Falcon. This is a very 
stiff pen, but makes a nice clear, clean-cut line. An ordinary stub is 
good for decorative drawing. The Japanese brush is sometimes used 
for “line work”, as it retains its point and can be used much like a pen. 
You had better try all kinds of pens until you ascertain which you can 
use to the best advantage and handle the easiest. 

Many different surfaces are also used by cartoonists upon which to 
draw, but Bristol-board, from 1 to 3 ply in thickness is the most com¬ 
monly used. Mounted Steinbach, smooth Strathmore and Whatman’s 
“hot-pressed” papers are also used for pen work. They have more tooth 
or grain, which some penmen like, and are also good surfaces for the intro¬ 
duction of crayon effects, etc. Thin letter-paper and bond-paper are 
sometimes used. 

As to Pencils, Faber’s, Dixon’s, Eagle, and Hardtmuth’s are all 
much in favor. For sketching in pencil, I know of nothing better 4faan a 
“Hardtmuth Koh-i-nor 2b”. For erasing pencil lines from a pen draw¬ 
ing a very soft rubber that will not grey the ink should be used. 

A smooth, light, wooden drawing board, that will readily receive 
thumb tacks, about 24" by 36" if you want to work large, or one about 
18" by 24" may suit you better, several good sable brushes of different 
sizes for laying in solid blacks, a few thumb-tacks, a straight-edge and 
a T-square will about complete your necessary outfit. 


( 6 ) 


DRAWING 

P ROBABLY the first problem that presents itself to the beginner is the 
training of the eye to see proportions correctly and the hand to carry 
out correctly in the drawing these proportions which the eye sees. Every¬ 
thing, every object, every mass of light and shade is “in proportion” to 
something else, something next to, or in conjunction with it. When we 
can see and reproduce these proportions rightly, we are “drawing”. 

For example: The human figure is usually eight heads high. The 
figure which you are drawing may be standing near a wall, which may 
be twice or more the height of the figure, and close at hand a dog about 
one-'qtaarter the height of the figure, and in the background a house twice 
the height of the wall, etc. Everything has a relative proportion, and 
you must practice keeping this idea of the relation of one object to another 
until it becomes a habit. 

Drawing direct from nature will be found more beneficial than any 
other sort of practice. It is also very pleasant and fascinating. Whether 

we are drawing from the “still- 
life” object or from the human 
figure it gives us the idea of 
“form”, the realization of the 
“roundness” of an object, the 
knowledge that there is another 
side which does not show in the 
picture, which is absolutely 
necessary for good draught- 
manship. No amount of copy¬ 
ing from other pictures, plates 
or photographs will give one 
this “feeling for form”, which 
is so necessary for the “memory 
draughtsman”. Constant prac- 



( 7 ) 





W-5> I W S'CTV3H 



Diagram Showing How to Compare Proportions 

- ' * i 


( 8 ) 










































tice in drawing from life, alone enables us to know an object and gives 
us the power to express it convincingly, pictorially to others, to draw it 
so that it “stands out” from the paper, the light striking it stronger in 
certain places (planes) and fading into shadow where it turns from the 
source of light. 

The cartoonist needs also to draw much from nature, because he must 
have stored in his memory a general idea of the shape of almost every¬ 
thing, which he may be called upon to reproduce at a moment’s notice. 
ALWAYS carry a sketch book with you and constantly make “pictorial 
notes” of objects and people about you, effects of light and shade, diapery. 



V 


expressions, actions, etc. This is very instructive and the sketches thus 
made, if preserved, will often “come in” very conveniently. 

A thorough knowledge of modern dress, as well as costumes of the 
past will be found very useful. 

Drawing an object from memory, shortly after you have drawn it 
from the object, is splendid practice, and will tend to fix the form in 
your mind. 

In drawing from life or from nature a good way to measure propor¬ 
tions with the eye is to extend the arm at full length, grasping the pencil 
so as to move the thumb as a guage (see illustration) and sight the object 
to be drawn along the pencil. Then using some part of the object or 
scene as a “key” find in what proportion the other objects or parts of 
objects are to it and thus build up your subject. For example, if you 
were drawing the figure of a man, guage the size of the head and then see 
how many heads is the length of his arm or trunk, etc. 


( 9 ) 










Diagram Illustrating Light and Shade 















LIGHT AND SHADE 


O HADE and shadow give an object its appearance of form, of solidity. 
^ There are two kinds of shade. First, what might be termed “natural” 
shade, which appears on every object receiving the light, and “accidental” 
shade or shadow which is that cast by an object by interposing between 
the light and the surface upon which the shadow falls. The “accidental” 
shadow may be lighter or darker than the object casting it. If the object 
casting the shadow is the same color as the surface upon which the shadow 
falls, the shadow is darker than the shaded side of the object and still 
darker if the surface is darker. 

Generally, the shadow cast upon an object lighter than the object 
which casts the shadow is lighter than the shaded side of the object cast¬ 
ing the shadow. This, however, is not always the case. Lay your hand 
upon a perfectly white paper and note how much darker is the shadow 
than the shaded side of your hand. 

Cast shadows do not mark the form of objects casting them, but the 
surface upon which they fall. They usually have sharp edges regardless 
of the shape of the object casting them. They are darker closest to the 
object and lightest most distant from it. 

A beginner is often heard to remark, “I can do the drawing all right, 
but I don’t know how to put on the shading”. This is where they are 
entirely wrong. True drawing is far more difficult than shading. It is 
the form, not the depth of a shadow which is most important. 

A plane of shade, as seen in nature, is of an even color, or, if darker 
in any part, reaches that depth only gradually. In representing a tone 
of shade with lines, it is well to incline them according to the inclination 
of the object whose shaded surface you represent. 

On a rounded object the highest light is at some distance from the 
outline on the illuminated side and the shade darkest some distance from 
the edge of the shaded side. 

In cylindrical and rotund forms, like the human figure, shades sepa¬ 
rate from the light gradually, and in angular objects, like a cube, abruptly, 
each plane as it turns from the light becoming darker. A “plane” is a 
surface which lies evenly between its bounding straight lines. 

<H> 



One of Bradley’s Cartoons in the Chicago Daily News. This is a beautiful technique 
and one that is superb for newspaper reproduction. 

This shows a strong “individual” line. —See chapter on Technique, 

( 12 ) 







• ^ 


THE HUMAN FIGURE 

f ■ 'HE human figure, necessarily, plays the most important part in the 
cartoonist s work. Figure drawing, in fact, might be said to be the 
basis of all art study. A fair knowledge of the ANATOMY of the human 
figure is very helpful. Works dealing specifically with human anatomy 
may be secured and an extensive study made of the subject. 

An excellent work which I know will be found very helpful on this 
subject is “Figure Drawing and Composition”, by Richard G. Hatton, 
published by Chapman and Hall of London. Any good book concern will 
secure this for you. 

If possible, practice drawing from a skeleton. You may be able to 
borrow one from a physician, at least parts, such as the skull and hands 
and feet. To become an expert draughtsman of the figure it is absolutely 
necessary to know the skeleton, as the action, general movement or swing 
of the figure depends upon the unseen skeleton. Then practice drawing 
from life in the nude and note how the muscles cover the bony frame¬ 
work. Make separate studies of hands, feet, heads, etc., and of the differ¬ 
ent features. Plaster casts of these may be secured and are fine for prac¬ 
tice. Give especial attention to the study of the hand. It is very difficult 
to draw well. Expressive, well-drawn hands add much to your picture. 
You may note all about you carelessly drawn, slovenly-expressed hands 
even when the rest of the picture is fairly well done. Use your own hands 
for models when no one else is convenient. You can also study your own 
features in a mirrow. Most newspaper artists keep a mirror always con¬ 
venient on their desk or easel to help them over knotty places. 

Following are a few generally accepted rules and suggestions which 
may be found helpful: 

The perfect figure is eight heads in height. 

The upper part of the figure may be divided into thirds at the base 
of the trunk, the waist and the shoulders. 

The arms extended equal the height. 

Arm 2 ^/ 2 , heads long. 

(13) 















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Make Careful Studies of the Different Features of the Face. 

(15) 










Shoulders 2 heads wide. 

Hips 2 heads wide. 

Leg 3% heads long. 

Head from chin to crown is four times the length of nose. 

Ear and nose same length. 

Mouth-1-3 wider than eye. 

Head 5 eyes in width. 

Hand length of face. 

Hand twice as long as wide. 

Foot length of fore-arm. 

Thumb length of nose. 

Children: 

Baby 3% heads in height. 

1 year, 4 heads. 

3 years, 5 heads. 

6 years, 6 heads. 

16 years, 7 heads. 

To grasp the general form and action of the figure you might prac¬ 
tice drawing the dummy shown in the diagram. There are three general 
solid masses or forms to the human figure, the head, thorax and pelvis. 
They are connected by the vertebral column, or backbone. The arms are 
attached on either side to the upper part of the middle form or chest, and 
the legs to the lower form. By bearing this dummy in mind as you study 
figures in action you will find it easier to understand the different out¬ 
lines and shapes which the figures may assume. 

In drawing the figure note that in a man the chest is wide and long, 
the hips narrow and short; in a woman the chest narrow and short and 
the hips long and wide. 

The head may be imagined as a sort of egg-shaped solid. Note how 
the nose and ear are always on a line, and no matter in what position the 
head may be viewed, a line drawn around it from the top of the nose and 
the top of the ear and another from the base of each will always be equal. 

The simple diagram herewith shows how from a state of repose the 
lines of the muscles of the face oscillate in two opposite directions, as¬ 
cending to show joy and descending to indicate sadness. All of the 
muscles which take part in expressions of grief and pain tend to incline 
the features obliquely downward and outward, and on the contrary, those 
expressing joy and pleasure raise them obliquely upward and outward. 

(16) 





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If Possible Practice Drawing from the Skeleton 



( 17 ) 













The lines in the diagram represent the eyes, lower boundary of nose and 
the lips. 

Little that can be written will be found of much help in drawing so 
difficult a subject as the human figure. Only from practice in drawing 
from the figure itself can the student acquire that knowledge which 
he needs. 



re rosz cm irr «Jcrr 


( 18 ) 



P RACTICE drawing animals from life as much as possible. They are 
not easy subjects as they cannot be posed like human beings. You 
will find it a rather difficult proposition to make a finished study, as you 
cannot keep them in one position long enough. But by making quick 
sketches as they change from one pose to another you will soon find that 
you are getting a pretty firm grasp of the general form and character¬ 
istics of your subject. 

Animals are much employed by the cartoonist. The domestic animals, 
the dog, cow, horse, cat, etc., are often very useful in expressing some 
idea. The two animals emblematic of the two great political parties, the 
elephant and the donkey, should be thoroughly studied. 

Wild animals, like the lion, tiger, ape, etc., and birds, the eagle* 
crow, dove, etc., are often very useful in a cartoon. 

( 19 ) 






There are many good works on the subject of animals in action which 
it is not a bad idea to have convenient at one’s hand. 

But nothing, as has been said, equals studying the real thing and 
drawing it from life. 



( 20 ) 






PERSPECTVIE 


^TpHE simple laws of perspective should be thoroughly understood. 

Linear perspective expresses distance by lines running away from 
the eye and converging at a particular point, the “vanishing point”. 



The above cut will be helpful in expressing linear perspective. The 
“station point” is where the spectator stands, and directly in front of him 
and on a level with his eye is the vanishing point to which all lines con¬ 
verge. The horizon line passes horizontally across the picture and is 
practically a straight line. It is there that the earth and sky seem to 
meet. This line, too, is always at the height of the eye of the observer. 
Objects above the eye are consequently above the horizon, and their lines 
slant downward toward the vanishing point, and those below the eye 
slant upward. 

Perpendicular lines always remain so, no matter how far from or 
near to the observer. 

The same rules of perspective apply to interiors, as well as to a 
landscape or exterior view. Of course, in drawing a room we must simply 
imagine a horizon-line on a level with the eye. 

Sometimes it becomes necessary to fix two vanishing points, one at 

( 21 ) 





station Point 






























































































each side of the picture. The same rules then apply to each point as to 
a single one. 

A good way to demonstrate the rules of perspective to your own 
satisfaction is to take a pane of glass, and standing from it about the 
length of your arm, draw upon it with a wax pencil, which will mark on 
glass, the view before you which you can see through the glass. You 
will very readily see for yourself, then, the simple idea of all horizontal 
lines converging to a center or vanishing point. 

Aerial perspective is that of the degree of color or tone which helps 
to express distance. Things seen in the distance appear dimmer than 
those in the foreground, and are consequently drawn lighter. The gen¬ 
eral tendency of distance is to blend everything together, no matter of 
what color or shape, in a mass of even tone. 

“Foreshortening” is really perspective of human figures and animals. 
It applies to objects, as well. Imagine the human figure stretched out at 



Foreshortened Figure 


full length on a level with the eye, while you are standing at either the 
head or foot of same, and you have a pretty forcible demonstration of 
foreshortening. Practice drawing people and objects foreshortened in 
this way as you may often find it a useful expedient to introduce into 
your work. 


( 23 ) 









(24) 





























































































































































TECHNIQUE 


r | TECHNIQUE is the medium or manner of expression by which the 
“*■ artist puts his thoughts into tangible form. Line work, that is, 
drawing with a point—pen and ink—is most used by newspapers. Crayon, 
pencil, charcoal, and brush work are sometimes used, but I will specialize 
here on drawing with pen and ink, it being the medium employed almost 
entirely by the cartoonist. 

The first requirement of a good pen technique is what is known as 
a good “individual line”, a line of feeling, and a line that is all your own. 
Do not think that what may appear to you as a very careless or thought¬ 
less technique of some famous pen artists can be imitated or acquired 
without much effort. Very often this apparent free and easy style is 
really the result of much careful, deliberate study for effect. 

Then, not only should you acquire an individual line, but a “variety 
of line” as well, a variety of size and direction, and a style of combining 
them for different tones, textures and effects. 

It is well to practice laying on different tones or tints over a given 
surface, by combining different styles of lines as shown in the diagram. 
On^/may in this way learn which manner they like best, and thus acquire 
a ‘style”. Take care to make all your lines distinct, clean-cut and strong, 
from start to finish of the stroke. 

Cross-hatching (lines running at right angles over sets of the same 
kind of lines) is not used as much as in the past. The tendency is 
toward simpler treatment, it is quicker and reproduces better. A tone 
should not be built up of a lot of meaningless strokes. Each line should 
tell its story, be indispensable, contribute directly to the ultimate result. 
Let “economy of line” be your watchword. If a shadow can be ex¬ 
pressed with twenty lines do not crowd in forty. 

Especially is it important in newspaper work to keep your work 
“open”. That is, do not mix up your lines too much or run them too 
close together. In reproduction, the lines tend to thicken and so crowd 







( 26 ) 























out the light between them. A gray tone, that may be light and delicate 
in your original drawing will appear much darker in the print. For this 
reason it is best to have but few values, and those distinct and positive. 
Some pen artists use but three, of which they can always be sure in the 
reproduction, black, gray and white. 

Cross-hatching is good to use in backgrounds as it sets things into 
the distance. Also, it is good in expressing textures as of cloth, etc. 
Rapidly drawn lines will be found to have a tendency to hook at their 
ends. This style is used by some cartoonists. You may have a series of 
long or short lines slowly drawn or a series of long lines rapidly drawn 
or combine slow and rapid lines. It will be found good practice to draw 
aperies of squares side by side, and fill them in with different tones rang¬ 
ing from very light gray to black; this will give you the knack of laying 
just the tone you need when you want it. 

You cannot spend too much time in practicing this making of tints 
by combinations of lines. Only constant practice will give you that ease 
and freedom of stroke which is necessary for good work. Study the 
work of the best cartoonists and see how they produce different effects, 
but do not become a copyist. Draw much from nature and see by what 
means (what style of technique) you can best and easiest express what 

Stipple effects are sometimes 
used; that is, different combina¬ 
tions for dots. Spatter work is 
often found to be quite effective. 
It is produced by filling a small 
brush like a tooth brush, with ink 
and spattering it over a given 
space. It is best to cover up the 
rest of the drawing so that it will 
remain clean. Be careful, too, not 
to load your brush with too much 
ink so that it splatters in blots. 

A mechanical device, called 
the Ben Day Machine, is some¬ 
times used to lay on different tones 
of dots, lines, etc. Most large en¬ 
graving plants and newspapers 
have one of these machines, which 
can only be rented. 

The news illustration on page 
47 is an example of crayon draw¬ 
ing. 

( 27 ) 



Spatter Effect 






II 

Fred Morgan in the Philadelphia Enquirer. A delicate cross-hatch style. 


( 28 ) 












HOW CUTS ARE MADE 


T N MAKING a “line” cut or reproduction from a line drawing the 

“copy” or picture is first photographed, the black lines appearing 
white or transparent in the negative. This is then printed by sun or 
electric light upon a smooth sheet of zinc, which is placed in a bath of 
nitric acid. The acid eats away that part left blank in the drawing, leav¬ 
ing the lines standing or in relief. You can readily see that the cleaner, 
sharper and blacker your lines are made, the better chance they have of 
“coming up” clean and strong in the reproduction. 

Half-tones, which are the cuts or reproductions of photographs or 
wash drawings, are made with a half-tone screen, which is similar to an 
ordinary mosquito netting, only very, very fine and is made in different 
grades, ranging from 40 to 400 lines per square inch. The average 
newspaper half-tone is made with a 60-line screen. This screen is placed 
in the camera breaking up the reflection of the picture upon the negative 
into little dots. The negative is then printed on the zinc sheet like the 
“line” negative and etched in a similar manner, the dots standing in re¬ 
lief instead of the lines. 

The illustration on page 15 of the different features of the face is 
from a half-tone cut. 


( 29 ) 



WWW 


^ if 





A Cartoon by DeMar in the Philadelphia Record. An economical, and consequently effe 
technique Every line counts. 


( 30 ) 


l| 
















































STARTING A DRAWING 


A DRAWING for a pen and ink cartoon is usually begun in pencil 
and first roughly indicated or “blocked in”. Most artists have a 
pretty clear conception of what their composition or picture is to be 
before they begin drawing. Lay in the large “masses” first. Here is 
where the idea of “composition” must be thought of. 

Composition is the harmonious arrangement of the masses, lines and 
tones of a picture. Good composition greatly strengthens a cartoon. 

One side of a picture must not be overbalanced by having too many 
or too much of the big masses or groups. They must be distributed suf¬ 
ficiently over the whole picture so as to make it “balance”, as it were, 
but not so evenly as to appear monotonous. What is known as “pyramid 
composition” is very popular with some artists and much used. It con¬ 
sists in the arranging of the masses in a pyramidical form, the base being 
wider than the top, and gives a great sense of security to the picture that 
is very restful to the eye. If you will note much of the work of good 
artists and sculptors you will readily recognize this very common pyramid 
idea. Some painters build their composition entirely of pyramids of 
different sizes, the smaller details of the picture resolving themselves into 
the minor pyramids. 

Try to make-your picture always restful to the eye, easily grasped 
at a glance, and you will have good composition. Avoid long lines of 
perspective, without some object breaking into them. 

Begin your drawing by blocking in and thus locating your large 
masses. The “action” of your figures, that is, their main motion or swing, 
must always be indicated, before you suggest any detail. A very few 
strokes will often give this suggestion, but they must be very carefully 
and accurately made. Indicate the larger masses first, then those next 
in size, and so on, until the smallest detail is reached. • 

You cannot be too careful with your pencil work. It is the founda¬ 
tion and errors there will mean errors in the finished drawing. After 
you have worked out your composition sufficiently in pencil and suggested 

(31) 


enough detail, begin outlining with ink and then lay in the deep blacks 
or solids. Always work from the darkest tones to the light. Solid blacks 
may be laid in with a brush, and thus save much time. After laying in 
the darkest tones and shadows you may gradually work up the detail. 
It is a general rule to have the lines run in the direction of the surface 
of the form which they are indicating. Then, some penmen let the lines 


bap composition 




run in the longest way possible, as it is quickest and therefor most prac¬ 
tical. Don’t go over your pen lines until dry. Avoid cross-hatching as 
much as possible. When your ink drawing is perfectly dry, erase all 
pencil lines, being careful not to rub the ink lines hard enough to gray 
them. 

When inking in your drawing it will be a good idea to remember 
that the “tones” or “values” of a picture, also play an important part in 
the composition. A very bright or light spot of color all by itself would 
be very unrestful to the eye. If carefully and properly repeated in other 
parts of the picture this restless effect will cease. Of course, to center 
the attention on one object or portion of the picture, it can be made the 



brightest or lightest tone in the composition but must be gradually fol¬ 
lowed up by repeating tones almost as strong. The most brilliant effect 

(32) 









































































Diagram showing different stages of a pen drawing. 




































I 



( 34 ) 


rmi3HEP 








































in black and white work is obtained by placing a solid black against a 
perfectly white area surrounded by gray. Another strong effect is to 
have a true black or perfect white near the center of the picture with the 
rest of the picture gradually toning up or down to it. 

Always bear in mind that it is the appearance of the drawing in the 
paper that is of the most importance. Sometimes it is wise to sacrifice 
good drawing for effects. Drawings are nearly always reduced for 
newspaper reproduction, to about one-half size of original, and some¬ 
times more. The amount of reduction you give your work, of course, de¬ 
pends upon your style of technique. A bold, dasliy drawing will stand 
most reduction. Too much “finish”, or working up of detail is not only 
a waste of time for newspaper printing but does not give good results in 
the paper. Only from experience can you learn what reduction you had 
best give your work. This, of course, is left to the artist. He can work 
as much larger than the size of the reproduction as he pleases. 












Cartoon drawn in the “comic serial” style. 


( 36 ) 



























































/CARTOONS are picture editorials. They are mainly upon political 
topics, but reach out also into other fields, such as news features 
of the day, Society, Wall Street, foreign topics, etc. The cartoonist must 
be an omnivorious, inveterate reader of the daily papers and keep in 
close touch with the important news of the moment. “Timeliness” is the 
key-note to a good cartoon. A good cartoonist cannot afford to miss the 
news of a single day. 


( 37 ) 































He must also bear in mind that a newspaper is a business proposi¬ 
tion, is run by the publisher as a money-making enterprise and not for 

philanthropic purposes, and must, 
therefore, take care not to offend 
its readers and especially the ad¬ 
vertisers who use its pages. 

The custom usually is for 
the cartoonist to select from the 
day’s news or editorials those 
subjects which he thinks best 
suited and most timely for car¬ 
toons, and after working his ideas 
out roughly in pencil to submit 
them to the editor for his judg¬ 
ment and selection. The editor 
picks out the subject he thinks 
most vital and perhaps makes 
some suggestion thereon. The 
artist then completes his cartoon 
Most editors prefer humor for 
cartoons above everything else. They know people like to laugh. That they 
would sooner be amused than preached to. But, of course, many a sub¬ 
ject cannot be treated humorously, and it may be, too, the most timely 
subject at that occasion. 

A cartoonist may add much 
humor to his cartoon by the 
use of. caricature, that is, the 
exaggeration of the peculiari¬ 
ties of a person or object, 
making it appear ridiculous. 

But you should understand 
that to really caricature one 
must be able to draw correctly. 

Caricature is not what some 
beginners appear to think it is, 
bad drawing or a means of 
covering up weak drawing. 

One must study his subject 
thoroughly in order to recog- 








nize that peculiarity or those peculiarities which are most open to exag¬ 
geration and in what way they can be overdrawn to give a humorous 
effect. If a nose is a little snubby, make it more so. If it is long and 



thin, or Roman, perhaps, make it longer and thinner or let it roam still 
more, as the case may be. But do not lose its individual character and 
thus destroy the likeness of your subject. A good caricature is always 
very readily recognized. It has been remarked that “that caricature 

looks more like him than he does himself . 

No rule can be laid down for caricaturing but caricaturists learn 
from experience to seize quickly upon the most salient characteristics. 
One thing you should never do is to caricature individual deformity. A 
person may sometimes be effectively caricatured as an animal or object. 
Tammany leader Croker of New York was often drawn as a tiger. Bourke 
Cockran has been represented as a sword-fish. David B. Hill was drawn 
as a crow. Every one remembers Nast’s famous caricature of Tweed as 
a money bag. 

The IDEA is, of course, the most important part of the cartoon. 
Draughtsmanship is really secondary, although many a good idea is 

( 39 ) 







spoiled in execution and good drawing will always make the cartoon more 
effective and easier to understand. When the cartoonist is a good “idea” 
man and an artist as well, his productions are very nearly ideal. 

Just how to conceive and develop and apply an idea for a cartoon is 
a matter of personal and individual method and effort. No rule can be 

given. Place before your mind the general 
thought or idea you want to bring out in 
your cartoon and then try to present it in 
some striking pictorial manner. 

In originating ideas, a good knowledge 
of history, mythology, and the Bible will 
be found very serviceable. They will pre¬ 
sent to your mind a vast amount of sugges¬ 
tive material upon which to base a cartoon. 
At the same time bear in mind that you 
are catering to a promiscuous public and 
must not make your cartoon so deep or 
profound as to be unintelligible to the ordi¬ 
nary mortal, who is in the vast majority. 
Simple, strong, striking ideas are the best, 
and hardest, to produce. A cartoon should tell the story without any “cut¬ 
lines” or caption, but where such are necessary, the briefer, the better. 

“Comics” are really a field to themselves. These are generally drawn 
in series of six or more pictures. 

Every one is too familiar with the 
Sunday Comic Supplements of the 
papers all over the country to 
necessitate any further discussion of 
this subject. Suffice it to say that an 
entirely new and original series of com¬ 
ics that will admit of much varia¬ 
tion or continuation will always find a 
ready market. ( Humor and plenty 
of action are the two main requisites 
of comic drawing. ^ 






( 40 ) 
























Another field which some artists find very pleasant and profitable 
is that of the base-ball and sporting cartoon. Most large papers have 
their special sporting cartoonist. To be successful in this field the car¬ 
toonist must understand the different sports pretty thoroughly and keep 
in close touch with the “dope”, which is sport phraseology, for the news 
of the day and past performances. To draw athletes, pugilists, etc, well, 
one must necessarily have a fairly good knowledge of human anatomy. 



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( 42 ) 










































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FINAL HINTS 

/CONSTANTLY study objects about you and always carry a sketch 
book or paper with you. Take pictorial notes of drapery, how a 
man’s coat wrinkles at the elbow and the trousers at the knee, how a 
woman’s skirt hangs, different shapes and ways of wearing hats, different 
kinds and characters of shoes, peculiar and striking expressions of the 
face, different manners of walking, sitting, gesticulating, etc. 

Of course you cannot be expected to memorize the form of every¬ 
thing, and since when you are called upon to draw a certain object with 



which you are not familiar, you most likely will not have time to hunt 
one up to draw from nature, it will be well to adapt the scheme of most 
cartoonists and newspaper artists of having at hand a complete, alpha¬ 
betically arranged file of photographs and clippings of everything you 

( 45 ) 





may need. A good file of portraits of prominent people is also quite 
necessary to the cartoonist. 

Make notes, mental and pictorial, all the time of facial expressions, 
characteristics, etc. Study your own face and its change of expressions 
in a mirror. A good work on this subject is “Bell’s Anatomy of Expres¬ 
sion”. Drapery is not an easy thing to draw. It will be well to put con¬ 
siderable practice on this subject. In drawing a draped figure the 
drapery should convey an impression of the action of the figure beneath. 
Take a piece of cloth and throw or drape it over some still object and 
make careful studies of it, and try and analyze the cause of the different 
folds and their directions. 

Newspaper drawings arc generally made two or three times larger 
than the reproduction. For magazines and books the drawings or paint¬ 
ings are sometimes made as large as ten times the size of the reproduction. 
Below is shown a scheme by which you can scale your drawings any 
size larger than the cut is to be and fit a given space exactly. 


^S/"Z.E. OF P«Aw/N<5- 



When necessary to correct a mistake in a pen drawing, instead of 
scratching out, it is best to paste a thin piece of white paper neatly over 
just that part which is to be corrected, and draw upon that, matching 
the lines at the edges. 

In small cities some newspapers require their artists to do their work 
on what is known as “chalk-plates”. This does away with and saves the 
expense of photo engraving. A chalk plate is a thin sheet of steel coated 
with , a layer of chalk. The artist makes his drawing, cutting through 
this chalk layer to the blackened surface of the metal with specially made 
tools, the steel showing up against the white chalk much like a black 
line on a white surface. An effect like a pen drawing can thus be se- 

( 46 ) 








cured. With a little practice one can learn to do very clever and 
effective work. 


A “reducing glass”, which is really a double concave spectacle lens, 
is used by some draughtsmen to see how their work will look when 
reduced. 

The drawing of figures in motion and violent action requires a lot of 
imagination. You cannot pose your subjects and study the action from 
life. Watch people and animals in action and try to draw them afterwards. 

In newspaper work you may often be called upon to do more or less 
lettering. It would be well to have a pretty fair knowledge of the form 
of the general styles of letters, Roman, English, Block and Script, on 
which all others are based. Secure these alphabets and practice draw¬ 
ing them. 


( 47 ) 
















Cartoon by Brinkerhoff of the Cleveland Leader. Note the big head and little body 

style, which is very effective 


Silver prints are sometimes used for making line cuts from photo¬ 
graphs. The print is made from the photograph, is generally enlarged, 
and looks much like a weak photograph. The artist works right over this 
with his ink lines and when completed the photo color is bleached out, 
leaving only the black lines on a white surface. 

Story illustrating is a branch of newspaper art work that is similar 
to cartooning. It depends entirely upon the artist’s imagination. Given 
a story, he picks out that which is most striking and picturesque and 
illustrates it in a manner which must be true to the story and attract 
attention to the text. 

What might be termed “news illustrating” is a field of newspaper 
work to itself and a difficult one, too. It requires great ability and much 
training. From a terrible railroad wreck to a scene in a court room, a 
political convention or a great fire, the artist must be equally able to 
produce a striking picture, fairly faithful to life and full of action. He 
must work often from the barest outline and sometimes is unable to make 
e\ jn this at the scene but must depend upon his mental impressions. 

“Lay-outs” are the borders or decorations arranged about the half¬ 
tones made from photographs. Given a number of photos the artist ar¬ 
ranges them in an artistic group of squares and ovals surrounded by 
fancy designs or illustrations from the story. 

( 48 ) 

























“Study constantly people and objects about you and always carry a sketch book 

or paper with you” 

( 49 ) 




























































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- 






































Caricature of the Author 
By Henderson 







AUG 15 1910 






















































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